Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' Hypnotic Eye harks back to the energy of
Petty's new wave origins, says Neil McCormick

Tom Petty is the kind of vintage American rocker it is easy to take for granted. There is nothing about his thirteenth album with The Heartbreakers that fans haven’t heard before but that in itself proves a treat. After 2010’s bluesy Mojo, this harks back to the energy of Petty’s new wave origins but with a grown up gravitas and delicacy of touch. Every song is delivered with a lean drive, mixing smart lyrics with a slick, gear-shifting rhythm section, shot through with snaky lead guitar figures, colourful splashes of Hammond organ and a shimmery ambience of Sixties six string sweetness.

Petty is an astutely understated songwriter, polishing phrases to gleaming nuggets that integrate perfectly with melodies and rhythms. His nasal voice has the implicit sneer of a rebel rocker but his songs are full of empathy and compassion. Sins Of My Youth is a tender account of a long term relationship delivered with gorgeous finesse (“You say you love me, wish you liked me more”) whilst American Dream Plan B is a grinding rocker that combines inspirational defiance with an implicit disquiet at the fading allure of a nation’s core mythology. Track for track, it’s the equal of anything Petty has released in a long and righteously distinguished career.